Antwan Tolhoek handed heavy doping ban after 2023 positive test - faces years on the sidelines

Although the positive test dates back to late 2023, Tolhoek’s suspension officially began on February 7, 2024. In a press release, the UCI confirmed that its anti-doping tribunal imposed the four-year ban. Tolhoek still has the right to appeal the decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), though it remains unclear whether he plans to do so.

His former Portuguese team had already announced his dismissal in February 2024. “We want to clarify that the positive test dated November 27 was delivered before he was part of our team,” they stated. “We’ve decided to terminate Antwan’s contract immediately and relieve him of all duties within the team. We were only just informed of Tolhoek’s test results and had no knowledge of it when he joined us.”

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Now 31 years old, Antwan Tolhoek will be nearly 34 by the time he's eligible to race again in 2028. But even before the doping news, the career of the once highly promising climber had already been on a downward trajectory. A product of the Rabobank development team, Tolhoek moved to Roompot for a year before joining what is now Visma | Lease a Bike. In 2022, he transferred to what is now Lidl-Trek, but after two seasons, his expiring contract was not renewed.

Tolhoek has one professional victory to his name, and it’s a notable one. In 2019, he won a tough mountain stage at the Tour de Suisse. He also rode the Giro d’Italia twice, the Tour de France once, and the Vuelta a España once.